One of Evan Turner's biggest challenges since joining the Indiana Pacers is getting used to coach Frank Vogel's voice.

"Frank is kind of a quiet guy," Turner said after the Pacers' practice at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday, one day before he faces the Philadelphia 76ers, his old team, for the first time. "Sometimes, I'm on the other side of the court and he doesn't have (a booming voice).

"In Philly, those gyms are empty so I can hear anybody talking. If somebody calls a play out, everybody hears it. But these games are packed so, sometimes, it's hard to hear."

Vogel told reporters a day earlier the biggest adjustment for a team working in a new player is getting him caught up on the new plays. The coach smiled on Thursday when told Turner's remarks.

"I've had referees tell me I've almost broken their eardrums before, not the other way around," he said.

The crowd figures to be sparse in Philadelphia Friday, so Vogel should be easy to hear. The 76ers are on an 18-game losing streak and averaging 13,612 fans per home game, second-worst in the league (Milwaukee, 13,215). Turner spent his first 3½ NBA seasons with the 76ers before being dealt to the Pacers on Feb. 20.

"I think a lot of people like to feed into that," Turner said of the impending homecoming. "A lot of that stuff doesn't really faze me, it doesn't concern me as much. We're going to play a game. I'm going to play hard and try to help my team win."

If anything, Turner feels sorry for his former teammates. Philadelphia is clearing cap space with the hope of building around point guard Michael Carter-Williams and center Nerlens Noel, the a first-round draft choice who is missing this season because of a knee injury.

"They're a young group of guys, so you've got to pay your dues in that sense," Turner said. "It's never good to see anyone lose, especially in the headline-type of way they've been, but I think good things are going to come for them."

Turner has had to make adjustments with the Pacers. He joined the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but he's coming off the bench and playing about 10 minutes less per game than with the 76ers. He's averaging 9.4 points, more than eight points less than in Philadelphia. All this is coming on the heels of pending free agency this summer.

But Turner said he's comfortable in his new role. He said he isn't worried how it might impact his free agency opportunities, noting most NBA teams understand his abilities after seeing him playing in Philadelphia.

"Anybody that steps into our culture has to understand that the team comes first and that's clear the moment they set foot in our building and get around our players and our leaders," Vogel said. "I think he sees that very clearly and, obviously, that's the right way to approach free agency, to just help the team win."

Vogel said Turner still is trying to catch up with his teammates on "timing" plays – such as rotating defensively at game speed. Otherwise, he gives him high marks.

"There hasn't been any situations where he's broken a play he didn't know," Vogel said. "I think his focus has been off the charts. His willingness to learn and get acclimated to a new system has been off the charts."

Turner has surprisingly struggled in one area. He is shooting 64.7 percent from the free-throw line for the Pacers. He shot nearly 83 percent from the line last season and is a 77-percent shooter for his career.

"I've been focusing on that," he said. "Free throws are breathing and taking your time. I have a routine I kind of rushed through due to anxiety in my first games. I'll get it done."

Pacers center Andrew Bynum will not play tonight during his return to Philadelphia. Bynum had an impressive Indiana debut on Tuesday, scoring eight points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a 94-83 win over Boston. But the Pacers want to rest his ailing knee Friday before playing him at Detroit on Saturday. He did not practice on Thursday.

Bynum was a member of the 76ers last season, but never played because of the knee injury. He played in Philadelphia earlier this season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"He probably could (play Friday), but we're not going to play him in a back-to-back just yet, the first week that he's back," Vogel said.

Added Bynum: "We don't want to risk anything. It's more about being healthy in the playoffs."

Ian Mahinmi, Roy Hibbert's primary backup this season, may not be available after missing the Boston game because of a rib injury. Vogel said Lavoy Allen – who also came to the Pacers from Philadelphia in the same trade that brought in Turner – will be Hibbert's backup if Mahinmi can't play. Allen has played in just three games since the trade.

Woeful 76ers: No getting around it — the Pacers are playing a really bad team tonight. The 76ers have lost 18 games in a row, eight short of the NBA record of 26, set by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers. "It's painful," first-year coach Brett Brown told reporters this week. "There's no doubt about it. How can you say it any other way? Of course, it's painful."

Injury update: Indiana backup point guard C.J. Watson remains day-to-day with a sprained right elbow. Watson has missed the last four games.

Moving to Hinkle for a day: Even when another event is going on inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it usually doesn't interfere with the Pacers routine. They merely move to the adjoining practice court. But that has been tranformed into the media and interview room during the Big Ten Tournament, so the Pacers hopped in a bus and drove a few miles north to practice at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Thursday. Just after 1 p.m., they were politely told they had used their alloted time and had to leave to make way for the Butler women's team, which was waiting to practice.

Prediction: The Pacers should not only win, but coach Frank Vogel should be able to give his reserves plenty of playing time in the fourth quarter. Indiana 104, Philadelphia 81.